HSE to give care to private gastric band patients

GASTRIC band patients who were left in the lurch by a consultant anaesthetist operating from a private clinic are being provided with aftercare services by the HSE.

The consultant, Dr Laszlo Ruscsak, was last week suspended by the medical agency Global Medic which had hired him to cover a post at Ennis General Hospital. Dr Ruscsak took thousands of euro from overweight patients for gastric band operations in Budapest and then failed to provide proper aftercare in this country.

Last night a spokesman for the HSE said they were concerned that “its hospital sites, address and name may have been used inappropriately in the course of a private business operation”.

Dr Ruscsak was operating from the Haven Clinic in Stillorgan Dublin.

“This is a serious matter and one that will be thoroughly investigated,” the spokesman said.

The 45-year-old is accused of using the public facilities in Clare to examine patients who attended the Haven Cosmetic Surgery Clinic before going to Hungary. As part of his HSE West contract, Dr Ruscsak was not allowed to see private patients.

Marie, a mother-of-one, paid more than €6,300 to the Haven Cosmetic Surgery Clinic for her operation and her aftercare. The aftercare never materialised.

Marie was 16 stone when she had her operation in April. On the return plane journey, she suddenly found that she couldn’t breathe and she was “weak and sore”. Two days after returning home, she had an infection.